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Piracy in Early Modern Literature, 1570-1730

Module description

The modern fascination with piracy is evident in the success of pirate fiction and film, ranging from Treasure Island (1881 ) to the Pirates of the Caribbean series (2003-2017). These are popular, romantic depictions that look back to the so-called ‘Golden Age’ of piracy. This module will enable you to establish the historical roots of such modern representations and their popularity by studying the rich cultural and literary history of piracy during the period 1570-1730, before we return to these more modern pirate fictions. Through a variety of early modern texts, you will examine historical continuities and changes in the portrayal of piracy and have the opportunity to focus on issues and concepts raised by piracy: crime and punishment, marginalisation and alterity, connected communities, slavery, gender, imperialism, disability, genre, sexuality, seascapes and sea-based identities.

You do not need any prior knowledge or experience to take the module, and it will also be of interest to those of you wishing to give focus and nuance to early modern areas of study from earlier in your degree.

Module aims - intentions of the module

On this module you will study early modern texts in a wide range of genres, enabling you to build on the analytical, interpretive, and independent research skills you have been developing. You will also have the opportunity to look at archival material. The module aims to equip you with the ability to contextualise and critique the ways in which controversial figures such as pirates have been represented in historically-based fiction, public history forums, and the heritage industry. An understanding and knowledge of early modern discourses surrounding piracy—e.g., international trade and law, poverty, colonialism, globalisation, religious identity, the sea as a territory, nationalism, economic power, Britain’s ‘place in the world’—allows you greater insight into some of the pertinent issues and debates which we face today, including the increasingly sophisticated activities of modern-day pirates. The knowledge and skills gained on the module can therefore have a practical application across many employment sectors, including museums and heritage, media and journalism, creative industries and the arts, education, publishing, editing and writing. It is also recommended for those of you wishing to continue studying at postgraduate level.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate an advanced critical understanding of the literature and cultural representation of early modern piracy
• 2. Demonstrate an advanced capacity to situate the literature and cultural representation of early modern piracy within the context of social and cultural change
• 3. Demonstrate the advanced ability to make detailed and theoretically informed connections between the representations of piracy and contemporary social, cultural, and political issues

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Demonstrate an advanced ability to interrelate and critically analyse texts and discourses of an earlier era, and relate their concerns and modes of expression to their historical and cultural contexts
• 5. Demonstrate an advanced ability to understand and analyse relevant theoretical ideas, and apply these ideas to different texts and their genres

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Through essay writing and electronic forms of communication demonstrate appropriate research and bibliographic skills, an advanced capacity to construct a coherent and substantiated argument, and to communicate complex ideas effectively in clear and correct prose
• 7. Through written and oral tasks, and seminar preparation/ participation, demonstrate advanced communication skills, independent and collaborative research skills, proficiency in information retrieval and analysis, and an ability to work effectively both individually and in groups

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

The module’s structure consists of three sections:

1.     Elizabethan-era piracy (1570-1603)

During these first few weeks of the module, you will explore Elizabethan piracy, and its counterpart, privateering. You will explore the role of pirates in Shakespearean drama, analyse literature of voyaging and adventure, and consider the relationship between piracy and imperial desire.

2.     Jacobean- and Caroline-era piracy (1603-1649)

The middle part of the module will examine pirates and piracy during the reigns of James I and Charles I through a range of contemporary literature. This will include the so-called ‘Barbary’ pirates, Islamic pirates from North Africa who took captives from the coastlines of Devon and Cornwall.

3.     The ‘Golden Age’ of piracy (1650-1730).

In the final section of the module we will look at the era when piracy was at its peak, and we see the notorious characters of early modern piracy emerging: the real ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. You will explore a range of material from this period (plays, ballads, prose, historical fiction, novels) and look at the ways in which this led to the later romanticisation and mythological status of pirates and piracy.

 In the final week of the term, we will critically explore modern re-imaginings of early modern piracy in forms such as film, visual culture, and museum/heritage display.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Richard Hakluyt, Voyages and Discoveries[selected readings]
• Thomas Heywood, The Fair Maid of the West Part 1
• Anon, The Famous History of the life and death of Captain Thomas Stukeley
• Thomas Heywood and William Rowley, Fortune by Land and Sea
• John Fletcher and Philip Massinger, The Sea Voyage
• Robert Daborne, A Christian Turned TurkandPhilip Massinger, The Renegado[both in Daniel Vitkus (ed.) Three Turk Plays from Early Modern England (2000)]
• Daniel Vitkus (eds.) Piracy, Slavery and Redemption: Barbary Captivity Narratives from Early Modern England (2001)[extracts]
• Captain Charles Johnson, A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates
• Charles Johnson,The Successful Pyrate
• Daniel Defoe, The Life, Adventures, and Piracies of Captain Singleton and Robinson Crusoe
• Robert Louis Stevenson,Treasure Island

Indicative secondary reading:

• Appleby, John C, Women and English Piracy: Partners and Victims of Crime, 1540-1720(2013)
• Burwick, Frederick and Manushag N. Powell , British Pirates in Print and Performance (2015)
• Ellinghausen, Laurie, Pirates, Traitors, and Apostates: Renegade Identities in Early Modern English Writing(2018)
• Ford, Talissa, Radical Romantics: Prophets, Pirates, and the Space Beyond Nation (2016)
• Jowitt, Claire, The Culture of Piracy, 1580-1630: English Literature and Seaborne Crime(2010)
• Klarer, Mario (ed.) Piracy and Captivity in the Mediterranean,1550-1810 (2019)
• Matar, Nabil, Britain and Barbary 1589-1689 (2005)
• Maquerlot, Jean-Pierre and Michèle Willems (eds.) Travel and Drama in Shakespeare’s Time (1996)
• Mackie, Erin, Rakes, Highwaymen, and Pirates: The Making of the Modern Gentleman in the Eighteenth Century (2009)
• Pennell, C. R., Bandits at Sea: A Pirates Reader (2001)
• Redkier, Marcus, Villains of all Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age (2004)
• Rennie, Neil, Treasure Neverland: Real and Imaginary Pirates (2013)
• Vitkus, Daniel, Turning Turk: English Theatre and the Multicultural Mediterranean, 1570-1630 (2003)
• Wathen, Bruce, Sir Francis Drake: The Construction of a Hero (2009)
• Weaver-Hightower, Rebecca, Empire Islands: Castaways, Cannibals, and Fantasies of Conquest (2007)

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – College to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages
  
  The majority of the readings will be provided on ELE.

Key words search

pirates and literature, piracy, early modern, drama, crime, the sea, gender, maritime